Ethiopian Airlines partners Africa CDC to develop ‘COVID travel pass’

Ethiopian Airlines has announced its partnership with Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) for the implementation of the African Union test and vaccine passport.

In an statement on Wednesday, the company said the pass will make travel “easier and safer” amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

It said the pass will allow customers enjoy hassle-free travel experience by helping them verify whether their medical information meets various COVID 19 regulations of their destination.

Ethiopian Airlines said the trusted travel pass solution will help to validate test and vaccination certificates, verify that they are sufficient for their route, and share testing or vaccination certificates with airlines and authorities to facilitate travel.

It added that the solution will also avoid fraudulent documentation and make air travel more convenient.

“The Trusted Travel pass program will ensure country regulations regarding COVID-19 travel requirements are met with minimal room for error and hassle to the travelling public,” the statement read.

“Ethiopian Airlines has been the pioneer in introducing new technologies to make travel contactless and convenient in an effort to curb the spread of the pandemic and restore passengers’ confidence in air travel.

“This latest partnership considerably deepens this longstanding tradition by boosting the safety of passengers and nations alike; and reaffirms Ethiopian’s strong commitment to being a major part of the African pandemic recovery effort.”

Commenting on the implementation of travel pass, Getinet Tadesse, chief information officer at Ethiopian Airlines, said the solution is part of the safety measures implemented to protect travellers across the continent.

“We are offering new digital opportunities to our passengers so as to fully and safely restore air travel. We are pleased to have introduced a digital platform that will be pivotal in increasing the number of passengers while making air travel safer,” he said.

“The solution is capable of addressing passengers’ travel needs during COVID -19 pandemic as it helps them validate their test and vaccination documents before departure. As a safety first airline, we are striving to make travel safe and seamless especially with regard to the implementation of COVID 19 prevention strategies.”

John Nkengasong, director of the Africa CDC, commended the partnership saying it is a significant move in the fight against COVID-19.

“The scale of the challenge presented by Covid-19 demands an unprecedented level of both innovation and cooperation, which is why Ethiopian’s laudable decision to come on board Trusted Travel marks a watershed in the continent’s ongoing fightback against this pandemic’s quest to suppress the Africa’s development ambitions,” he said.

Meanwhile Africa CDC, in a statement on its website, said the partnership is in line with its saving lives, economies and livelihoods campaign which seeks to prevent cross-border spread of COVID-19 infection.